Powari is an
Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
and Eastern
Maharashtra. It belongs to the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
subgroup. However, further classification is difficult to determine. Despite the name, the majority of ethnic
Powar people, who amount to approximately one million people (according to estimates in 1986), approximately only about 30% are native speakers of Powari. However, about 70 % of Powar community members can speak & write Powari language.
Classification
Powari has variously been classified as a variety of (or possibly a regional name for) the
Bundeli
Bundeli ( Devanagari: बुन्देली or बुंदेली; or Bundelkhandi) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Bundelkhand region of central India. It belongs to the Central Indo-Ayran languages and is part of the Western ...
language, or as a separate language belonging to either the
Eastern Hindi
The Central Indo-Aryan languages or Hindi languages are a group of related language varieties Spoken across North India and Central India. These language varieties form the central part of the Indo-Aryan language family, itself a part of th ...
or the
Western Hindi
The Central Indo-Aryan languages or Hindi languages are a group of related language varieties Spoken across North India and Central India. These language varieties form the central part of the Indo-Aryan language family, itself a part of th ...
subgroups.
Geographical distribution
According to Ethnologue, Powari is spoken in the
Balaghat
Balaghat is a city and a municipality in Balaghat district, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balaghat District. Wainganga River flows beside the town.
Geography
Balaghat is located at . It has an a ...
,
Seoni, districts of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
; and
Bhandara; and
Nagpur
Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...
; and
Gondia districts of
Maharashtra.
References
{{Reflist
Indo-Aryan languages